Concerns about Coop s new giant packing plant
Coop intends to combine the packaging and storage of potatoes in one large warehouse near Gardermoen. The farmers team is afraid that means the nail in the coffin for Norwegian potatoes in the districts.
Lars Petter Bartnes, leader of the Norwegian Farmers Association, is worried about the consequences it will have for potato farmers in the districts. Northern Norwegian and Trøndelag potato producers will lose market access and must stop potato production , he states. Bartnes predicts that competition in the food market will make the farmer the weaker party. This is the start of a trend we have seen in Europe and the USA. This puts the farmer in a very difficult situation. Here, the lease in the chain will have all the power.